Al-Haram, architectural Necklace

Figure 3.2 - Adams, Z., (2018). Silver, enamel & pearl architectural necklace.

This piece is made in silver and copper with enamel applied, and is held together by a string of pearls. The inspiration for this piece comes from the geometric and arabesque patterns seen in interior architecture of Masjid Al-Haram in Makkah, Saudi Arabia.

I drew inspiration from the ceiling of the Al-Haram masjid. I found the three-dimensionality of the eight-fold geometric design very interesing and wanted to apply it to jewellery. The ceiling design incorporated an arabesque pattern, made using a method called "relief carving" (see figure 3.3), and solid colour-filled areas.

In designing this piece, I extracted a portion of the eight-fold geometric shape and translated it into jewellery. A replica of the arabesque pattern was pierced out of silver plate, in a diamon-like shape, and for the solid colour shape, I used an opaque dark-blue shade of enamel which was applied on copper. For the copper pieces I curved the surface to add dimension to the piece and so that it would be smooth and fit against the neck comfortibly. I ended up with seven elements, which were strung together with pearls. The result is the necklace in figure 3.2. I also made a pair of earrings that were slightly different to match.

This piece was influenced by the work of Sevan Bıçakçı in that I wanted this piece to represent Masjid Al Haram in a literal sense. Using arabesque and geometry, I was hoping to achieve a sense spiritual mediation. I also incorporated an aspect of summetry because I feel like that is visually satisfying.

Figure 3.3 - Adams, Z., (2018). Image showing the portion of the Al-Haram ceiling.